THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


From  the  Library  of 
BENNEHAN CAMERON 

1854-1925 

Presented  by 
his  daughters 


Isabel  C.  Van  Lennep 

and 

Sally  C.  Labouisse 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.O  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


0003058450 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/livedollshousepaOOgate 


The  LIVE  DOLLS' 
HOUSE  PARTY 


r'#     ,.:-/    . 


In  Japan 


Frontispiece 


The  LIVE  DOLLS' 
HOUSE  PARTY 

By 
JOSEPHINE  SCRIBNER  GATES 


Author  of 

THE  STORY  OF  LIVE  DOLLS 

MORE  ABOUT  LIVE  DOLLS 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  LOST  DOLL 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  THREE  DOLLS 

LITTLE  RED,  WHITE  AND  BLUE 


Illustrated  by 

VIRGINIA  KEEP 


INDIANAPOLIS 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright  1906 
The   Bobbs-Merrill   Company 


September 


PRESS  OF 

BRAUNWORTH   &  CO. 

BOOKBINDERS  AND  PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 


To  my  daughter 

Jessie 

this  hook  is  lovingly  dedicated 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

In  Japan  Frontispiece 

Now  behold  !    Dinah  is  herself  again  6 

Dolls  on  all  sides  were  doing  their  shopping  30 

The  children  gazed  in  rapture  at  the  moving 

picture  34 

They  found  themselves  inside  the  enchanted  place  42 

"I  must  try  them  on!"  56 

They  are  rather  sad-looking,  as  they  sell  their 

wares  74 

At  that  instant  Janie  sneezed!  86 

When  Janie  raised  the  lid,  there!   oh  there!  98 


The  LIVE  DOLLS' 
HOUSE  PARTY 


*»5- 


CHAPTER  I 

INTENSE  excitement  reigned  in  Clo- 
verdale  for  the  third  time! 

Early  one  morning  the  whole  village 
was  awakened  by  the  clear  notes  of  the 
bugle  and  the  peal  of  the  silver  bells. 

Startled  at  the  unusual  but  vaguely 
familiar  sounds,  many  sleepy  eyes  opened 
wide  and  listened  wonderingly,  and  when 
the  owners  realized  that  it  was  truly  the 
boy-doll    trumpeter    they    heard,   many 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 


tousled  heads  were  seen  peering  out  of 
the  various  windows,  trying  to  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  longed-for  coach  as  they 
heard  the  kittens  clatter  at  a  mad  pace 
up  and  down  the  streets. 

Janie's  head  was  bobbing  at  her  win- 
dow, her  eyes  dancing  wide  with  excite- 
ment, and  her  whole  little  frame  tingling 
with  emotion  as  she  waited,  hoping  he 
might  pass  by  once  more,  and  sure 
enough,  here  he  was! 

The  child  looked  in 

vain  for  the  dear  face 

at  the  window,  then 

noticed  that  the  driver 

was    slowly  waving    a 

white  banner  to  and  fro.      On  its 

fluttering  folds  she  read  the  words, 

"Dolls'    House    Party,"    in    large 

letters. 


HOUSE  PARTY 

It  looked  like  a  flag  of  truce,  and  as 
it  was  evidently  a  message  from  the 
Queen,  it  surely  meant  something  very 
important.  The  children  hustled  into 
their  clothes,  in  their  haste  getting  them 
wrong  side  out  and  upside  down. 

But  what  can  one  expect  when  these 
little  girls  didn't  know  what  instant  they 
were  to  have  a  visit  from  the  dear  one 
who  brought  life  to  their  dolls?  Sad  to 
say,  one  reason  for  haste  was  that  they 
really  were  not  very  well  prepared  for 
this  visit;  so  after  a  hurried  breakfast, 
each  doll  was  obliged  to  submit  to  such 
a  scrubbing  and  a  drubbing,  that,  had 
they  been  alive  when  this  ordeal  was 
over,  the  air  would  have  been  filled  with 
sighs  of  relief. 

Tangled  curls  were  brushed  out,  vari- 
ous wardrobes  furbished  up,  and  finally, 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 


as  nothing  more  happened, 
the  village  green  was 
dotted  with  little 
girls    with    dolls    in 
arms  or  in  doll  car- 
riages,   all    looking 
JL/_^      5fe|Bf      wonderingly  at  each 
l/l  $;  other  and  gazing  ex- 

pectantly up  and  down 
the  street. 
To  the  relief  of  every  one,  Dinah  at 
last  had  her  feet  and  her  face  pointing 
in  the  same  direction  and  was  seated  in 
one  end  of  Rosabell's  carriage  in  a  state 
of  great  expectancy,  for  she  longed  to 
know  how  it  would  seem  to  be  alive 
and  comfortable  at  the  same  time. 

Tanie  had  declared  that  if  the  Oueen 
ever  appeared  again,  Dinah  should  be  in 
perfect  condition,  but  it  came  about  in  a 


HOUSE  PARTY 

very  strange  way.  After  Rosabell  was 
all  in  order  and  ready  for  the  touch  of 
the  magic  wand,  Janie  took  Dinah  and 
was  about  to  break  her  legs  and  turn 
them  around,  when,  in  some  way,  the  doll 
slipped  and  fell  and  the  head  rolled  away. 
For  an  instant  the  child  was  filled 
with  terror,  as  Dinah  was  like  one  of 
the  family  and  very  precious.  Horri- 
fied at  this  disaster,  Janie  picked  up  the 
poor  little  black  body  and  the  head,  and 
as  she  gazed  at  them  she  suddenly  threw 
back  her  head  and  laughed  heartily,  as 
she  exclaimed,  "Why,  Dinah,  bless  your 
heart!  You  did  me  a  good  turn  that 
time  and  saved  me  the  trouble  of  break- 
ing your  legs.  I  hated  to  do  it,  'cause 
I  never  could  make  'em  stick  as  well  a 
second  time,  and  they  would  be  sure  to 
break  in  the  old  places.     Now  all  I  have 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

to  do  is  to  turn  your  head  around  and 
you'll  just  be  perfect!"  And  in  a  jiffy 
the  head  was  on,  and  Dinah,  while  she 
seemed  to  look  very  gratefully  at  Janie, 
still  seemed  to  say  that  she  was  not  yet 
quite  right.  And  again  Janie' s  merry 
laugh  rippled  through  the  room  while  she 
removed  the  doll's  clothes,  gave  the  joint- 
ed arms  a  twist,  and  then  replaced  the 
garments,  turning  them  about,  and  now 
behold !  Dinah  is  herself  again  and  ready 
to  be  in  a  perfect  state  of  enjoyment  when 
life  once  more  thrills  her  little  black  body. 
Suddenly,  in  one  magical  instant,  ap- 
peared the  little  Queen  in  their  midst,  and 
at  once  dolls  wriggled  out  of  arms, 
climbed  out  of  carriages,  and  went 
scampering  and  tumbling  about  on  the 
grass,  reveling  in  the  delight  of  being 
once  more  filled  with  life. 


Now  behold  !   Dinah  is  herself  again  !        Page  6 


HOUSE  PARTY 

The  Queen,  after  a  joyous  greeting, 
seated  herself  on  the  lawn.  The  chil- 
dren crowded  at  her  feet,  and,  as  they 
watched  the  dolls'  pranks,  listened  with 
the  closest  attention  as  she  unfolded  her 
charming  plan. 

"I'm  so  glad  to  see  you,"  she  said, 
"and  to  tell  you  that  we  shall  have  the 
best  time,  the  very  best  time  we  ever 
had!  How  would  you  like  to  go  home 
with  me?  I  have  never  told  you  that  I 
live  in  a  little  town  called  Dollville,  and 
it  is  the  merriest  town  in  all  the  world. 

"It  is  peopled  by  dolls,  and  dolls  only. 
Such  dear  little  houses  and  stores  and 
parks  you  never  dreamed  of.  There  is 
a  school-house  and  a  church,  and  right 
next  to  my  own  house  on  the  hill  is  a 
dance-hall,  where  I  have  made  arrange- 
ments to  take  you  all  for  a  House  Party. 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

Now  you  must  go  and  tell  your  mothers, 
and,  if  they  agree  to  it,  bring  them  here 
and  we  will  talk  it  over." 

The  children  flew  to  their  separate 
homes  as  if  on  wings,  and  soon  appeared, 
followed  by  the  various  mothers.  The 
Queen,  after  cordially  greeting  them, 
continued  her  interesting  tale. 

"As  I  said  before,  I  live  at  Dollville, 
and  I  want  to  take  you  there  for  a  visit 

"I  shall  have  the  'bus  that  took  you 
to  the  sea-shore  last  summer  carry  you 
out  to  the  Doll  Farm,  where  there  is  now 
a  railroad  station.  There  you  will  take 
a  miniature  train  which  was  built  for 
dolls  but  is  large  enough  and  strong 
enough  to  hold  little  girls. 

"This  train  will  take  you  to  Dollville 
in  two  hours.  There,  I  promise  you, 
you  will  be  well  taken  care  of.     If  you 

8 


HOUSE  PARTY 

get  homesick  you  can  come  back  at  any 
moment,  but  I'll  warrant  you  won't  even 
be  ready  to  come  when  you  must. 

"At  the  end  of  your  visit  a  very  im- 
portant event  will  take  place,  after  which 
you  will  have  a  most  interesting  trip 
before  you  return  here." 

The  children's  faces  glowed,  and  the 
mothers  looked  wistfully  at  the  Queen. 
One,  who  was  especially  fond  of  dolls, 
cried : 

"Can't  we  come  too?  We'd  all  love 
to  see  this  strange  place." 

The  Queen  laughed  as  she  replied, 
"Bless  your  hearts!  I  wish  you  could, 
but  there  is  really  no  room  for  grown- 
ups to  sleep,  every  place  is  too  small. 
I'm  sorry,  but  I  fear  you  will  just  have 
to  see  it  through  the  children's  eyes. 
Now  chicks,"   she   said,  turning  to  the 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

buzzing  audience,  "  bring  only  a  suit-case 
apiece  and  each  doll's  trunk,  and  be  on 
hand  at  eight  o'clock  sharp  to-morrow 
morning." 

As  she  finished  speaking,  the  coach 
drew  up;  she  stepped  inside,  and,  with 
a  bang  of  the  door  and  a  wave  of  her 
hand,  she  was  gone,  leaving  her  hearers 
in  a  wild  state  of  excitement. 

The  mothers  spent  the  rest  of  the  day 
preparing  the  children  for  the  visit,  and 
by  night  suit-cases  and  trunks  were 
packed,  and  the  children  retired  to  dream 
of  the  wonders  awaiting  them  in  the 
captivating  little  village. 

Promptly  at  eight  the  next  morning 
the  'bus  gathered  up  the  children,  satchels 
and  dolls,  and,  after  loving  good-bvs, 
away  they  clattered  toward  the  Doll 
Farm. 

IO 


HOUSE  PARTY 

As  a  special  privilege  Dinah  was 
allowed  to  go.  She  sat  beside  Rosabell, 
eagerly  watching  the  country  through 
which  they  were  passing,  occasionally 
glancing  with  the  greatest  pride  at  her 
two  feet  with  toes  pointing  straight 
ahead,  which  was  untold  comfort  to  her. 
Janie  leaned  back  in  her  seat  and  watched 
the  familiar  road  as  she  had  two  years 
ago  on  her  first  trip.  She  looked  lov- 
ingly down  at  Rosabell,  whose  little 
hand  was  fondly  clasping  hers,  and  then 
at  Dinah  and  her  little  friends  with  their 
dolls.  What  happy  faces  and  what  a 
glorious  time  they  would  have! 

How  they  had  been  longing  for  the 
Queen's  reappearance,  and  now  she  had 
come  with  hardly  a  moment's  warning! 


ii 


CHAPTER  II 

HOUSEKEEPING  and  going  to 
the  sea-shore  with  the  live  dolls 
were  perfect,  but  here  was  some- 
thing utterly  different  from  either,  which 
seemed  to  promise  something  even  more 
novel.  Think  of  being  in  a  town  where 
all  the  people  were  dolls !  and  besides  all 
they  would  see,  here  was  this  very  un- 
usual event  and  a  trip!  What  was  that 
and  where  were  they  going? 

And  now  the  Farm  loomed  up.     There 
was  the  same  archway,  and  they  drove 

12 


HOUSE  PARTY 

through  the  same  great  gate,  and  there, 
oh,  there  was  the  dear  old  gardener  who 
let  her  trim  the  hats!  He  was  pruning 
the  trees,  whose  branches  were  heav- 
ily laden  with  spring  garments  of  all 
sorts.  Here  and  there  under  the  trees 
on  the  grass  lay  withered  handkerchiefs, 
detached  sleeves  of  garments,  portions  of 
parasols,  and  over  all  fluttered  bits  of 
lace  and  various  colored  feathers  and 
flowers,  all  of  which  the  Queen  said  was 
the  result  of  a  late  frost;  but  in  spite  of 
this  there  seemed  to  be  a  fine  crop,  and 
the  children  gazed  longingly  at  the 
strange  sight. 

The  Queen  met  them  at  the  door  of 
the  little  hospital  and  led  them  into  the 
dining-room,  where  a  delicious  lunch 
was  waiting.  A  jolly  time  they  had 
over  the  tiny  plates  and  the  doll  food,  but 

13 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

as  there  was  an  abundance  they  did  not 
suffer,  although  it  did  seem  outrageous 
for  each  to  eat  half  a  dozen  potato  balls, 
even  though  they  were  the  size  of  a  hick- 
ory nut!  And  the  ham  sandwiches — 
Janie  did  not  dare  count  the  number  she 
disposed  of.  There  were  roasted  birds, 
and  it  was  amusing  to  watch  the  dolls 
revel  in  the  drumsticks  and  wings. 

For  dessert  there  was  a  flaky  saucer 
pie  for  each  of  the  children,  but  dolls 
had  pieces,  just  as  dolls  should  have. 

When  the  meal  was  finished  they  all 
walked  across  the  street  to  the  station, 
where  they  found  the  little  trunks  and 
suit-cases  piled  up  waiting  for  the  train, 
and  very  soon  it  appeared  with  its  com- 
ical little  whistle,  and  rush  and  roar, 
trying  in  vain  to  make  the  same  impor- 
tant noise  that  the  real  trains  do. 

14 


HOUSE  PARTY 

The  fun  began  at  once,  for  here  was 
the  colored  boy-doll  porter,  politely 
touching  his  gold-trimmed  hat,  taking 
their  satchels  and  waving  them  into  the 
car,  which  they  found  full  of  dear  little 
doll  passengers,  all  eating  lunch  from 
the  daintiest  of  lunch  baskets. 

They  greeted  the  Queen  most  respect- 
fully and  looked  curiously  at  the  small 
girls  and  their  dolls  as  they  passed 
through  their  car  to  another  which  was 
furnished  in  a  most  elegant  manner,  and 
which,  the  Queen  said,  was  for  her  own 
private  use. 

"Where  have  all  those  dolls  been?" 
asked  Janie  of  the  Queen,  when  they 
were  all  finally  seated  and  the  train 
was  in  motion. 

"Oh,  they  came  out  to  the  Farm  for 
clothes.     They  got  in  at  the  station  just 

15 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

below.  You  see,  in  Dollville  we  haven't 
many  dressmakers  and  those  we  have 
are  very  expensive.  These  ready-to- 
wear  garments  are  much  cheaper  and 
many  come  here  to  renew  their  ward- 
robes. They  have  great  fun  choosing 
and  trying  on  dresses.  They  select 
them  from  the  trees  and  then  go  into  a 
fitting-room  where  a  skilled  dressmaker 
fits  them.  They  buy  quantities  of  these 
garments  and  they  are  very  pretty,  as 
you  all  know,  for  if  I  am  not  mistaken 
your  dolls  are  still  wearing  those  given 
you  by  the  gardener  two  years  ago  at 
the  picnic." 

"Yes,"  said  Janie,  "they  are  pretty; 
we  loved  them  dearly,  but,  of  course,  we 
never  had  any  made  by  regular  dress- 
makers. All  we  ever  knew  about  were 
those  our  mammas  made,  or  we  made 

16 


HOUSE  PARTY 

ourselves,  and  we  thought  they  were 
pretty  fine.  But  where  do  those  dolls 
put  all  of  those  clothes?  They  do  not 
seem  to  have  any  bundles." 

"Look  out  the  window,  dear;  we  shall 
go  around  a  curve  in  a  moment,  and  you 
will  see  where  your  suit-cases  and  all  oi 
the  dolls'  trunks  are  stowed  away." 

And  sure  enough,  Janie  corld  see  the 
brave  little  engine,  and  back  of  it  a  bag- 
gage car,  which,  the  Queen  said,  was  piled 
high  with  trunks,  which  in  turn  were 
packed  full  of  finery.  The  Queen  told 
them  that  in  the  streets  of  Dollville  they 
would  see  these  same  dolls  walking 
about,  clothed  in  this  gorgeous  array. 

And  now  appeared  the  conductor. 
The  children  tried  in  vain  to  suppress  a 
giggle,  for  it  did  lock  too  funny  to  see 
a  boy-doll    dressed    up  in  blue    clothes 

17 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

adorned  with 
brass  buttons, 
and  a  cap 
pulled  well 
down  over  his 
eyes. 

He    looked 

stern,     as 

most 

well- 


very 


_.. 


behaved  conductors  should,  and  touch- 
ed his  cap  respectfully  as  he  passed  by, 
for,  of  course,  the  Queen  and  her  guests 
could  ride  free  on  this  wonderful  road. 

Next  came  the  train  boy — such  a 
bright-looking  little  fellow,  with  his 
basket  of  candy,  pop-corn,  gum,  and  an 
armful  of  books. 

The  Oueen  bought  for  each  child  a 
box  of  sweets,  which,  when  opened,  pro- 

iS 


HOUSE  PARTY 

voked  a  hearty  shout  of  laughter,  as  it 
disclosed  layer  upon  layer  of  the  cutest 
little  chocolate  drops  and  candied  fruits. 

"You  will  get  used  to  this  soon," 
remarked  the  Queen  as  the  merriment 
subsided.  "It  is  only  the  beginning  of 
the  odd  things  you  will  see  later  on." 

The  children  settled  themselves  to 
watch  the  country  through  which  they 
were  so  swiftly  gliding.  In  what 
seemed  a  very  short  time,  the  conductor 
was  shouting,  "Dollville,  end  of  road. 
All  out!" 

Our  little  group  eagerly  followed  the 
Queen,  looking  about  with  wide-open 
eyes.  It  seemed  as  though  they  cer- 
tainly must  be  dreaming,  everything  was 
so  queer.  Here  were  the  tiny  cabs, 
their  drivers  shouting,  "Cab,  cab,  take 
you  to  any  part  of  the  city!"      Baggage- 

19 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

men  were  running  hither  and  thither 
with  their  strings  of  checks,  calling, 
"Here  you  are,  carry  your  baggage, 
right  this  way!"  Such  a  din  of  pip- 
ing voices,  and  how  funny  it  all  was! 
Poor  Dinah  was  besieged,  and  no  won- 
der, for  she  was  togged  out  in  all  colors 
of  the  rainbow ;  and  the  drivers  evidently 
concluded  she  was  a  foreign  person  of 
rank.     Her  satchel  was  taken  from  her 

and 

she 

was 

fairly 

pushed 


towards 
a  cab  by  its 
driver;  but  Di- 
nah,   always 
equal  to  einer- 


20 


HOUSE  PARTY 

gencies,  wrenched  her  satchel  from  his 
grasp,  and,  with  a  smart  box  on  his  ear, 
shrieked,  "I'm  no  Egyptian  Queen!  I'm 
a  cook;  lemme  lone!" 

The  Queen,  seeing  the  trouble,  rescued 
her,  and  led  her  now  giggling  subjects  to 
a  coach,  in  which  they  were  soon  seated 
and  on  their  way  through  a  busy  street. 
Boy-dolls  were  driving  carts  and  wagons 
of  all  sorts  in  every  direction,  each  carry- 
ing its  odd  freight:  grocery  and  meat 
wagons  piled  high  with  small  baskets 
of  provisions;  laundry  wagons  with 
their  wee  packets;  ice  wagons  loaded 
down  with  blocks  of  ice  which  looked 
for  all  the  world  like  loaf-sugar;  car- 
riages in  which  were  seated  beautifully- 
dressed  dolls,  who  nodded  brightly  as 
they  passed  along.  Occasionally  a  gor- 
geous automobile  rolled  swiftly  by,  car- 


21 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

rying  a  jolly  crowd  of  dolls.  The 
children  gazed  at  these  sights  in  spell- 
bound wonder,  almost  afraid  to  move  for 
fear  they  would  be  awakened. 

They  were  soon  away  from  the  busy 
street,  in  the  residence  portion,  and  the 
children  chuckled  as  they  saw  the  doll 
houses  and  yards  gay  with  the  tiny  flow- 
ers and  shrubs.  And  now  the  ponies 
passed  slowly  up  a  hill,  then  into  most 
beautiful  grounds,  and  halted  in  front 
of  an  enchanting  doll  house. 

The  footman  opened  the  coach  door 
and  they  stepped  out  into  what  seemed 
like  fairy-land.  Such  flowers  they  had 
never  beheld!  Darling  baby  starry  things, 
of  all  colors,  nodding  up  at  them,  which 
the  Queen  said  they  were  at  liberty  to 
pluck  at  any  time.  Then  they  saw  the 
garden  where  the  gardener  was  getting 


22 


HOUSE  PARTY 

vegetables  for  dinner,  and  the  baskets, 
filled  with  radishes,  onions,  potatoes, 
pease  and  corn,  looked  like  those  seen  in 
the  windows  of  candy  stores  at  Easter 
time. 

Scattered  all  through  these  grounds 
were  trees  heavily  laden  with  apples, 
pears,  cherries  and  plums,  all  so  small 
they  appeared  like  Christmas  trees  hung 
with  pop-corn,  cranberries  and  candy. 

The  Queen  led  them  through  these 
grounds  to  a  long,  low  building,  which, 
she  said,  was  the  dance-hall  where  they 
held  their  balls.  Here  they  found  the 
coziest  kind  of  quarters. 

On  one  side  was  a  row  of  cots,  and 
beside  each  one  was  a  doll  bed  where 
each  doll  could  virtually  sleep  under  her 
own  mother's  wing. 

"Now,    children,"    said    the    Queen, 

23 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

"you  see  this  is  to  be  an  'ideal'  House 
Party.  Back  of  this  is  the  refreshment 
room  which  will  be  your  dining-room. 
Back  of  that  is  the  kitchen,  where  the 
little  black  cooks  are  even  now  prepar- 
ing your  dinner,  which  will  be  ready  in 
fifteen  minutes." 

At  this  joyful  news  all  crowded  to  the 
door,  and,  peeping  out,  beheld  such  a 
sight!  Doll  waiters  bustling  about  set- 
ting tables,  and  beyond,  through  the 
swinging  doors,  could  be  seen  the  cooks 
hovering  over  the  ranges,  while  delicious 
odors  were  wafted  to  them,  which  spoke 
well  for  the  meal  in  progress. 

So  elated  were  the  children  they 
waltzed  about  the  room  and  chattered 
like  so  many  magpies,  as  they  made 
ready  for  the  coming  meal. 

The  gong  sounded  and  all  fled  out  to 

24 


HOUSE  PARTY 

the  table,  and  a  merry  time  they  had, 
the  children  at  one  table  and  the  dolls 
at  another.  The  doll  waiters  served 
everything  in  the  most  perfect  manner, 
and  the  dolls  were  really  better  behaved 
than  the  little  girls,  who  soon  perceived 
that  they  must  mind  their  p's  and  q's, 
for  the  dolls  were  sharp  critics. 

Soon  after  dinner,  as  so  much  unusual 
excitement  had  made  them  very  weary, 
they  sought  their  beds.  Later  on,  when 
all  was  quiet,  the  good  Queen  tiptoed  in 
to  see  if  all  were  well,  and  she  smiled  to 
herself  at  the  sweet  picture  of  dolls  and 
their  mammas  in  deepest  slumber. 


25 


CHAPTER  III 


AND  how  they  slept!  They  never 
knew  a  thing  till  morning;  but 
when  they  turned  over  and  real- 
ized where  they  were,  and  for  what  pur- 
pose, they  hopped  out  of  bed  and  were 
soon  dressed  and  trooping  in  to  a  break- 
fast of  fruit,  milk,  waifles  and  honey. 
The  waifles  were  a  joy  to  behold,  so 
crispy  and  brown;  and  what  fun  to  fill 
the  holes  with  butter  and  honey!  The 
breakfast  was  quickly  devoured,  and 
then  followed  a  rollicking  time  in  the 
yard.     They  sat  on  the  ground  to  gather 

26 


HOUSE  PARTY 

berries  and  vegetables;  stooped  down  to 
get  the  fruit  from  the  trees;  tucked  the 
baby  flowers  into  belts  and  hair;  and 
then  investigated  the  Queen's  own  little 
house,  after  which  her  Ladyship  an- 
nounced a  trip  down  town  for  all.  They 
formed  in  a  procession,  each  little  girl 
with  her  doll  beside  her  following  the 
Queen,  who  told  them  as  they  walked 
along  that  they  must  be  quiet  in  the 
streets,  for  Dollville  was  not  used  to 
children's  noise. 

They  first  visited  the  meat  market, 
where  the  sight  of  the  tiny  steaks,  birds, 
roasts,  and  strings  of  sausage,  almost 
drove  them  into  hysterics.  The  doll 
butchers  looked  very  odd  in  their  white 
caps,  nourishing  what  appeared  to  be 
pen-knives,  with  which  they  carefully  cut 
the  various  meats.     The  children  reluc- 

27 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

tantly  left  this  place  to  go  to  another 
equally  as  delightful,  namely,  the  grocery 
store  where  the  tiny  clerks  were  racing 
about,  some  filling  orders,  some  waiting 
on  doll  customers  with  the  greatest 
politeness,  while  a  row  of  wagons  stood 
in  front  for  the  baskets  of  goods  that 
must  soon  be  delivered. 

They  next  visited  a  candy  store  and 
went  back  into  the  factory,  where  the 
Queen  had  special  permission  to  take 
her  guests.  This  was  the  sweetest 
place!  Here,  candy  of  all  kinds  was 
brought  to  a  state  of  perfection.  Heaps 
of  molasses  kisses  lay  freshly  powdered; 
wee  gum-drops  glistened  with  a  crisp 
coating  of  sugar  frost;  sheets  of  choco- 
late waited  to  be  cut  into  tiuv  blocks. 

J 

After  feasting  their  eyes  on  this  delicious 
picture,  the  Queen  bought  each  a  box  of 

28 


HOUSE 


PARTY 


the  mixed  candies,  and  they  continued 
their  march  through  the  streets,  till  sud- 
denly Rosabell  began 
to  weep,  and  sobbed, 
'  Mamma,  that  candy 
made  my  tooth  ache!" 
Janie  tried  to  comfort 
her,  and  the  Queen 
came  back.  Learning 
the  trouble,  she  con- 
soled her  by  saying, 
"Never  mind,  that  is 
easily  taken  care  of.  We 
can  go  right  up  to  the  den- 
tist and  he  will  settle  that  toothache  in 
no  time." 

Janie  and  Rosabell  looked  serious,  but 
the  Queen  quieted  their  fears  by  saying, 
"It  will  not  hurt,  I  promise  you  that. 
We  do  not  hurt  people   in    Dollville." 


29 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

So  the  dolls  and  their  mothers  were 
requested  to  amuse  themselves  by  look- 
ing into  the  glittering  shop-windows 
while  Janie  and  Rosabell  followed  the 
Queen  up  a  stairway  into  a  tiny  office, 
where  they  found  a  jolly  boy-doll,  who 
joyfully  greeted  them  all,  and  cheerily  in- 
quired which  one  was  in  trouble.  Rosa- 
bell  stepped  timidly  into  the  cunning 
dentist  chair  and  opened  her  little  mouth 
while  he  peered  in,  and  finally  said,  "Oh, 
I  see  the  trouble.  Your  tooth  has  been 
broken.  Perhaps  your  mamma  can  tell 
us  how  it  happened" — and  Janie  blushed 
as  she  confessed  that  she  broke  it  on  pur- 
pose, so  that  she  could  push  food  into 
her  mouth.  As  she  talked  the  dentist 
whisked  out  the  tiny  pearl,  and  in  an 
instant  had  another  in  its  place.  As 
she  got  down  he  asked  her  if  it  hurt. 

30 


Dolls  on  all  sides  were  doing  their  shopping 

Pa%e  jo 


HOUSE  PARTY 

Rosabell  smiled  and  replied,  "Not  a  bit!" 
The  Queen  gave  him  a  piece  of  silver, 
and  they  went  their  way  once  more. 

They  peeped  into  the  dry-goods  store, 
where  dolls  on  all  sides  were  doing  their 
shopping.  Some  were  gazing  critically 
at  dress  goods  which  the  clerk  was 
draping  in  a  tempting  manner;  others 
were  buying  hosiery,  and  others  dainty 
lingerie  of  all  sorts.  One  little  bunch 
of  school-girls  was  investing  in  hair 
ribbons. 

From  here  they  visited  a  restaurant, 
where  they  were  treated  to  ice-cream 
soda  water,  which  they  ate  from  thimble 
glasses  with  the  tiniest  of  spoons. 

On  the  street  again  they  peered  into  a 
shoe  shop,  where  dolls'  feet  were  being 
fitted  to  trim  little  boots. 

In  the  jewelry  store  they  saw  a  gor- 

31 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

geous  display  of  dolls'  trinkets — ring-s, 
watches  and  necklaces,  with  which  the 
children  longed  to  deck  their  dolls. 

In  the  offices  sat  papa  dolls  at  their 
desks,  working  hard  to  earn  the  money 
for  the  wee  families  at  home. 

From  the  business  portion  they 
wended  their  way  toward  the  park, 
which  was  a  beautiful  place,  with  flower- 
bordered  walks  and  velvet  lawns.  Here 
were  the  dear  little  white-capped  nurses, 
trundling  babies  in  long  dresses  and 
watching  over  the  tiny  tots  who  could 
just  run  alone. 

One  group  of  little  girls  was  seated 
on  the  grass  playing  with  their  dolls! 
In  another  part  a  picnic  was  being  held ; 
they  were  getting  out  the  lunch  from  the 
tiniest  of  baskets,  and  that  reminded  the 
children  of  the  fact  that  they  were  huii- 

32 


HOUSE  PARTY 

gry,  so  they  retraced  their  steps  and 
were  soon  in  their  own  quarters,  tired 
but  bubbling  over  with  the  wonders  of 
the  morning. 

Then  followed  days  of  blissful  happi- 
ness, walking  about  the  streets,  playing 
in  the  park,  peeping  into  the  various 
places  full  of  interest  for  them.  They 
went  one  day  to  visit  the  school,  but  as 
they  could  not  possibly  get  into  the  tiny 
building  they  asked  permission  to  look 
through  the  window.  It  was  well  they 
were  on  the  outside,  for  frequent  giggles 
burst  forth  in  spite  of  efforts  to  suppress 
them.  Seeing  dolls  seated  at  desks 
studying,  writing  at  the  blackboard  and 
reciting  in  class  to  a  doll  teacher,  was 
almost  too  much  for  our  little  group. 

Saturday  afternoon  the  Queen  took 
them  to  the  roller-skating  rink.     Here 

33 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 


excitement  reigned  supreme.  Rosabell, 
with  the  other  dolls,  begged  to  be  allowed 
to  rent  skates,  and  they  were  soon  flying 
about  with  the  rest.  Di- 
nah sailed  around  with 
them  in  blissful  con- 
tent, while  she  re- 
joiced inwardly  that 
for  this  occasion  her 
two  feet  were  as  all 
feet  were  intended  to 
be;  and  the  children 
gazed  in  rapture  at  the  moving  picture, 
and  thanked  the  Queen  over  and  over 
for  bringing  them  to  Dollville. 

Sunday  was  observed  in  this  little 
town  just  as  it  should  be  everywhere. 
Stores  were  closed,  and  when  the  peal 
of  sweet  bells  filled  the  air,  calling  them 
to  church,  the  children  and  dolls  donned 


34 


The  children  gazed  in  rapture  at  the  moving  picture 

Page  34 


HOUSE  PARTY 

their  best  gowns  and  quietly  followed 
the  Queen  to  the  House  of  Worship. 
Such  an  odd  one  it  was!  Janie  wanted 
to  put  her  fingers  together  and  say, 
"Here's  the  church,  and  here's  the 
steeple.  Open  the  doors  and  here's  all 
the  people,"  as  she  used  to  do,  for  it  was 
just  like  it.  There  was  the  tall  steeple, 
and  the  two  thumbs  for  doors,  and  inside, 
their  dolls  sat  in  the  pews  with  those  of 
the  village,  and  the  children  found  chairs 
placed  for  them  in  the  back  part.  It 
was  just  like  any  church  with  its  choir- 
boys in  caps  and  gowns,  caroling  the 
hymns  in  which  the  audience  joined, 
making  a  sweet  tinkling  chorus,  which 
rang  in  the  children's  ears  long  after. 

The  minister  stood  up  in  his  black 
robe,  reverently  chanting  the  prayers 
with  the  people,   and    then    followed  a 

35 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

sermon.  As  the  children  listened  their 
keen  eyes  were  roving  everywhere,  and 
they  noticed  that  restless  children  were 
qnieted  with  pictures  and  bits  of  candy, 
just  as  they  were  at  home.  Janie  even 
heard  a  gentle  snore  or  two  from  an  old 
grandfather  doll  who  sat  near. 

Sunday-school  followed  this  service, 
and  was  even  more  interesting,  for  the 
Queen  had  charge  of  it,  and  they  sang 
some  rousing  songs,  after  which  the 
various  classes  were  formed  and  a  buzz 
of  voices  filled  the  room  as  they  studied 
and  talked  over  the  lesson. 

Why  couldn't  dolls  be  alive  this  way 
all  over  the  world?  What  fun  it  would 
mean  for  the  children!  But  of  course 
that  could  not  be,  and  they  must  make 
the  most  of  their  privilege. 

After  dinner  they  sat  about  reading 

36 


HOUSE  PARTY 

and  talking  quietly  in  the  garden,  amid 
the  flowers  and  fruits,  trying  to  be 
patient  till  bedtime,  for  a  little  bird  had 
whispered  a  gay  piece  of  news,  and  all 
were  eager  for  the  morrow  which  was  to 
bring  them  to  such  a  beautiful  thing, — 
a  thing  that  all  children  adore,  and 
that  is  a  circus!     A  really  truly  circus! 


37 


CHAPTER  IV 

THEY  could  hardly  believe  it,  but 
they  had  seen  the  bills  posted 
about  town,  and  the  next  morning 
when  the  Queen  announced  the  good 
news,  their  joy  was  complete.  A  circus 
would  be  a  treat  anywhere, — and  what 
would  it  mean  in  Dollville! 

"Is  it  a  doll  circus?"  Janie  politely 
inquired. 

"Indeed  it  is,"  replied  the  Queen. 
"We  have  fine  circus  grounds,  and  an 
unusual  company,  who  keep  in  practice, 

38 


HOUSE  PARTY 

and  once  a  year  give  a  great  perform- 
ance. We  all  look  forward  to  it,  and  I 
planned  your  visit  just  at  this  time  so 
that  you  could  enjoy  it  with  us.  This 
morning  we  will  go  to  see  the  parade, 
and  this  afternoon  the  'bus  will  take  us 
to  the  circus  grounds." 

Much  elated  over  the  news,  the 
children  and  dolls  hurried  through 
breakfast,  made  their  beds,  and  put  the 
room  in  perfect  order,  which  was  a 
daily  duty.  They  then  started  out,  and 
found  the  streets  gay  with  banners 
and  alive  with  doll  people.  As  they 
reached  the  principal  thoroughfare 
strains  of  music  could  be  heard  in  the 
distance,  and  the  children  and  dolls 
were  wild  with  excitement.  When  the 
procession  finally  came  in  sight  they 
hardly  dared  to  breathe  for   fear   they 

39 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

might  miss  some  part  of  the  wonderful 
vision  that  now  met  their  eyes. 

First  came  a  brave  little  brass  band, 
led  by  a  drum  major  nourishing  his 
baton;  the  players  were  all  clad  in 
uniforms  of  bright  red  and  silver,  and 
blew  their  trumpets  and  horns  and 
clashed  their  cymbals  and  drums  with 
the  greatest  zeal. 

Following  these  were  gold  caravans 
drawn  by  such  darling  ponies.  Doll 
ladies,  in  bright-colored  dresses  spark- 
ling with  jewels  and  spangles,  sat  in  the 
plush  seats,  looking  about  and  waving 
their  hands  to  the  admiring  crowds. 

There  was  a  funny  clown  mounted 
on  a  monkey  who  politely  bowed  and 
tossed  bonbons  in  every  direction. 

Then  appeared  a  cage  on  wheels 
filled     with     monkeys     chattering    and 

40 


HOUSE  PARTY 

scolding.  Next  came  a  wagon  with 
long  benches,  on  which  were  seated 
beautiful  Angora  kittens  who  beamed 
mildly  down  on  them  as  they  proudly 
waved  their  tails. 

Following  them  was  a  cage  of  bril- 
liant birds  warbling  a  joyous  chorus, 
inspired  by  the  music  of  the  band. 
Then  a  number  of  pug-dogs,  gay  in 
bright  ribbon  harnesses  covered  with 
bells,  drawing  a  coach  filled  with  baby 
puppies,  caused  shouts  of  laughter,  and 
as  this  was  the  end,  the  children  raced 
home  to  eat  lunch  and  be  prepared  for 
the  'bus,  which  appeared  on  time  and 
whirled  them  away  to  the  circus 
grounds.  Such  a  hustle  and  a  bustle 
they  were  in  as  they  neared  the  tent! 
Every  one  was  excited ;  cheeks  were  red 
as  roses,  and  eyes  as  bright  as  dollars. 

41 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

As  they  drew  up  to  the  entrance  and 
heard  the  music,  they  could  scarcely  sit 
still  and  fairly  fell  out  as  the  'bus 
stopped,  so  eager  were  they  to  get  to 
the  scene  of  action. 

The  Queen  marshaled  her  forces 
well,  and  had  them  form  in  line  with 
hands  on  one  another's  shoulders,  so 
they  would  not  become  separated  in  the 
crowd.  She  led  them  to  the  entrance 
of  the  tent  and  they  at  once  found 
themselves  inside  the  enchanted  place. 

As  it  was  a  little  early  for  the  per- 
formance, they  walked  about  and  looked 
at  the  various  trained  animals,  which 
they  had  seen  in  the  parade. 

If  you,  Little  Reader,  have  never  seen 
trained  birds,  kittens  and  monkeys, 
then  you  have  missed  a  rare  treat,  for 
it  is  great  fun  to  see  them  ride  bicycles, 

42 


They  found  themselves  inside  the  enchanted  place 

Page  42 


HOUSE  PARTY 

dance,  climb  ladders,  play  ball,  and 
come  ont  hitched  to  tiny  toy  wagons 
and  draw  one  another. 

Janie  was  mnch  interested  in  the 
monkeys,  which  really  seemed  almost 
human.  She  gave  a  mamma  monkey  a 
peanut,  and  was  delighted  to  see  her 
break  the  shell,  take  out  the  nut  and 
give  it  to  the  baby  in  her  arms.  The 
baby  chewed  it  contentedly  till  it  sud- 
denly choked,  when  the  mamma  struck 
it  on  the  back  and  held  up  its  arms  just 
exactly  as  all  mammas  do  with  their 
choking  babies. 

They  were  soon  startled  by  a  voice 
through  a  horn  crying,  "Performance  is 
about  to  begin.  Get  your  seats,"  and 
immediately  there  was  a  wild  scramble. 

Of  course  the  Queen  and  her  guests 
were  led  to  the   best  places  and  were 

43 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

soon  settled  and  looking  curiously  about 
at  the  strange  audience.  'They  at  once 
decided  that  that  alone 
was  worth 


-com- 
ing to 

see,  for  papa  and  mamma  dolls  with 
their  children  all  dressed  in  bright  col- 
ors made  a  wonderful  picture.  All 
were  fanning  themselves  with  tiny 
fans,  and  children  were  eating  candy 
and  peanuts  just  as  most  children  do 
at  a  circus.  Even  our  little  party  were 
plentifully  supplied  with  refreshments, 


44 


HOUSE 


PARTY 


which  they  gaily  crunched  while  they 
waited. 

Suddenly  the  band  struck  up  a  march 
for  the  grand  entree,  and  in  came  the 
various  performers,  led  by  the  clown. 
Back  of  him  were  glossy  ponies  with 
coats  of  red  velvet  covered  with  spangles. 
Their  riders  were  boy  and  girl  dolls, 
clad  in  bright  tinsel-trimmed  suits. 
Then  came  the  lady-doll  performers, 
dragging  their  long  trains  i 
in  the  dust,  waving  bannersj 
and  singing  as 
they  marched. 
After  them 
came  a  proces- 
sion of  mon- 
keys, all  in 
little  dress- 
suits  and  high 


45 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

silk  hats,  and  walking  beside  each  one 
was  a  kitten  dressed  as  a  lady,  in  train 
gown  and  picture  hat  fastened  on  with 
a  ribbon  tied  in  a  mammoth  bow  under 
the  chin.     Their  hats  were  adorned  with 
curling    feathers    and    bright     flowers. 
They  were  such  an  excellent  imitation 
of  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  evening  dress, 
that  a  ripple  of  applause    broke    forth 
from    the    delighted    audience    as   they 
viewed  them.     Following  these  were  a 
lot  of   pug-dogs   garbed  in  gay-colored 
coats    strung  with  bells,  which  jingled 
merrily  as  they  marched,  keeping  time 
to  the  music ;  and  lastly,  a  flock  of  birds 
hopped  proudly  along,  their  bright  rib- 
bons fluttering  behind  them,  appearing 
like  a  mass  of  waving  flags. 

Round    and    round    swept    this    pan- 
orama, holding  the  audience  spellbound, 

46 


HOUSE  PARTY 

till  suddenly  all  disappeared,  and  such 
a  storm  of  applause  filled  the  place  you 
would  never  believe  it  possible  that 
dolls  were  responsible  for  it. 

And  now  the  music  burst  forth 
again,  and  in  dashed  the  doll  riders,  one 
by  one,  their  steeds  racing  like  mad 
around  the  ring,  while  the  dolls  jumped 
over  bars  and  through  hoops. 

Next  the  dolls  walked  ropes,  swung 
in  the  trapeze,  and  one  even  rode  a 
wheel  across  the  rope.  The  children 
watched  breathlessly,  fearing  an  acci- 
dent, but  they  were  well  trained  and  bob- 
bed up  serenely  after  each  difficult  feat. 

The  clown  was  great  fun,  and  invited 
any  boy  who  chose  to  ride  his  gallant 
steed.  Many  little  boys  rushed  in  and 
mounted  the  monkey,  only  to  be  thrown 
in  the  dust,  from  which  they  crawled,  to 

47 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

the  accompaniment  of  laughter  from  the 
audience. 

After  a  prolonged  pause,  there  ap- 
peared a  gold  chariot,  in  which  were 
seated  bride-and-groom  dolls,  driving 
four  beautiful  white  French  poodles — 
such  fat,  curly  dogs,  as  white  as  the 
driven  snow!  They  galloped  wildly 
about  and  the  little  bride  clung  with  one 
hand  to  her  lover  and  with  the  other 
held  her  hat,  which  was  heavily  laden 
with  orange  blossoms,  while  her  veil 
streamed  out  behind,  threatening  to  catch 
in  the  wheels  at  each  turn.  The  dogs 
were  certainly  meditating  something 
rash,  for  they  nearly  tipped  out  the 
occupants  as  they  swiftly  turned  to 
leave  the  ring. 

In  response  to  repeated  applause  came 
a  miniature  chariot  the  exact  counterpart 

4s 


HOUSE  PARTY 

of  the  other,  with  a  monkey  and  kitten 
bride  and  groom  driving  four  white 
baby  kittens.  They  were  all  decked 
out  in  ribbons  and  laces,  and  played 
their  parts  to  perfection. 

Then  followed  a  short  performance  by 
the  animals.  The  birds,  monkeys  and 
kittens  rode  on  the  dogs'  backs,  jumping 
through  paper  hoops  and  over  bars.  The 
monkeys  proved  themselves  fine  riders 
and  executed  most  astonishing  feats,  for 
monkeys  are  used  to  clinging  to  ropes 
and  bars  and  know  no  such  thing  as  fear. 

This  closed  the  entertainment,  and  at 
once  all  was  confusion.  The  children 
and  dolls  formed  in  line  as  before  and 
marched  out  to  the  'bus,  talking  very 
hard  and  very  fast  of  all  they  had  seen. 
The  Queen  rejoiced  in  the  fact  that  the 
afternoon  had  been  a  success. 

49 


CHAPTER  V 

SOME  days  after  this,  when  the 
Queen  gave  them  her  usual  morn- 
ing greeting,  she  seemed  fairly 
bristling  with  news.  Her  eyes  shone 
like  stars,  and  her  cheeks  were  so  rosy 
the  children  wondered  what  was  coming; 
and  when  she  asked  them  if  they  remem- 
bered that  while  in  Cloverdale  she  had 
hinted  at  a  certain  important  event, 
Janie  promptly  replied,  "Why,  course, 
and  that  was  the  circus!" 

"No,"  she  said,  it  is  much  more  im- 


50 


HOUSE  PARTY 

portant ! "  And  then  she  electrified  them 
all  by  announcing  that  she  was  to  be 
married!  They  were  all  to  be  invited 
to  the  wedding,  and  after  that  they  were 
to  go  with  her  on  her  wedding  journey, 
which  would  be  most  unusual;  where 
they  were  to  go  was  to  be  kept  secret 
for  the  present,  but  the  wedding  itself 
was  to  be  soon  and  preparations  were 
even  now  in  progress. 

"Can  our  dolls  come,  too?"  queried 
Janie. 

"Yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  Queen,  "the 
more  the  merrier.  I  planned  your  visit 
just  at  this  time  so  you  could  see  the 
wedding,  for  I  knew  it  would  be  a  great 
treat  for  you  all. 

"The  first  thing  to  plan  for  is  clothes 
for  the  dolls.  I  have  a  very  unusual 
person  sewing  for  me  and  have  arranged 

51 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

to  have  her  make  gowns  for  all  of  these 
little  midgets.  You  can  take  them  to 
her  to  be  measured,  and  then  you  may 
all  go  shopping  and  select  the  materials, 
et  cetera." 

"Please,  what's  that?"  asked  Janie 
politely. 

"Oh,  slippers,  gloves,  fans,  veils,  rib- 
bons, and  all  such  things.  You  will 
have  great  fun  in  the  stores,  for  the 
whole  village  is  agog.  They  are  all  so 
excited  over  this  event,  and  every  one  is 
flying  about  getting  ready  for  the  wed- 
ding. Now,  I  shall  take  you  up  to  the 
sewing-room  and  you  can  talk  it  all  over 
with  Aunt  Jerusha.  She  is  a  very  old 
lady  who  sewed  for  my  mother  when 
I  was  a  child" — and  the  Oueen  led  the 
way  to  the  charmed  room,  which  was  at 
the  top  of  the  house. 

52 


HOUSE  PARTY 

Our  little  group  climbed  the  stairway, 
with  hearts  beating  fast  over  the  impor- 
tance of  this  enterprise.  Never  before 
had  they  visited  a  doll  dressmaker — and 
then  to  think  that  they  were  actually  to 
go  shopping  for  these  dolls! 

They  clattered  their  feet  and  giggled 
all  the  way  up,  and  when  they  reached 
the  room,  the  Queen  tapped  gently  on  the 
door,  which  opened  at  once,  and  there 
stood  a  quaint  old  lady-doll  with  the 
sweetest  face  framed  in  gray  hair,  parted 
and  brushed  straight  back,  then  twisted 
in  a  tight  knot  which  was  fastened  with 
a  small  black  comb.  She  wore  a  gray 
dress  made  with  a  tight  old-fashioned 
bodice,  and  the  skirt  gathered  full  at  the 
waist.  About  her  neck  was  a  snowy 
kerchief  caught  in  front  with  a  large 
cameo.     A  black  silk  apron  covered  the 

53 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

front  of  this  Quaker  gown,  and  the  old 
lady  placidly  peered  through  her  steel- 
bowed  spectacles  with  keen,  kindly  eyes, 
as  she  exclaimed  in  a  high  quavering 
voice:  "Well,  well!  Looks  as  if  school 
was  out.  What  a  lot  of  bright  faces, 
and  how  very  large  you  are!  Come  in. 
I'm  used  to  dolls,  but  I  haven't  seen  chil- 
dren except  in  pictures" — and  she  ex- 
amined them  carefully,  one  after  another, 
squeezing  their  arms,  touching  their 
faces  and  hair  until  they  became  embar- 
rassed and  longed  for  their  mothers' 
aprons  to  hide  behind.  "How  curious!" 
she  said  to  the  Queen.  "They  are  just 
like  us,  only  of  larger  growth.  Their  par- 
ents must  be  enormous!  My!  It  makes 
me  feel  queer  to  see  so  many  freaks  all 
at  once.  I'll  sit  down  a  moment  while 
you  tell  me  what  I  can  do  for  you." 

54 


HOUSE  PARTY 

The  Queen  knelt  by  her  chair  and 
said  in  a  loud,  clear  tone:  "They  have 
come  to  have  their  dolls  measured  for 
gowns  to  wear  to  the  wedding." 

Then  to  the  children:  "Now,  one  by 
one,  you  may  take  your  dolls  to  her  and 
have  a  little  talk.  She  is  hard  of  hear- 
ing, so  speak  plainly." 

The  children  hovered  about  her  like 
bees  about  a  honey-pot,  and  the  dolls 
stood  up  before  her  while  she  measured 
them,  and  then  made  out  a  list  for  each 
one,  and  advised  the  mammas  as  to  the 
colors  best  suited  to  the  various  com- 
plexions. 

While  this  was  going  on,  Janie  looked 
about  the  bright,  cheery  room  and  gazed 
wistfully  through  a  crack  in  a  certain 
door,  through  which  she  could  see  the 
old  lady's   tiny  helpers  at  work  in  an 

55 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 


adjoining  room,  and  hear  bits  of  chatter 
and  the  busy  whir  of  the  sewing- 
machines.  Near  by  stood  a  table  piled 
high  with  finished  gowns  of  all  shades. 
As  the  Queen  caught  sight  of  them,  she 
exclaimed:  "Why! 
have  you  finished 
so  many?  I  must 
try  them  on" — 
and  in  a  flash 
she  donned  one 
after  another 
and  pranced 
gaily  about  the 
room,  while  the 
children  shouted  and  clapped  their  hands 
till  Aunt  Jerusha  cried,  "Why,  you  act 
like  a  six-year-old  over  new  boots!" 

The  Queen  put  away  the  finery  and 
said  shyly,  "I  feel  like  one.     These  are 

56 


I  must  try  them  on  !  "  Page  56 


HOUSE  PARTY 

so  pretty,  and  you  know  I  never  was 
married  before.  But  come,  children, 
you  must  get  your  shopping  done,  so 
Aunt  Jerusha  can  get  at  this  work. 
What's  the  matter,  Dinah?  You  don't 
look  happy,"  she  said  to  the  little  black 
cook,  who  stood  apart  from  the  rest, 
looking  rather  downcast. 

"I  ain't  been  measured  yit,  and  I 
wants  to  go  to  dis  yer  weddin',  but  I 
don't  like  to  be  the  only  lady  of  color, 
so  I'se  thinkin'  I'd  ax  you  might  I 
white  up!  If  I  kin  I  wants  a  yaller 
dress." 

The  Queen,  with  a  merry  twinkle, 
replied:  "Bless  your  heart!  Of  course 
you  can.  Here,  Aunt  Jerusha,  take  her 
measure  and  make  out  a  list  of  anything 
she  wants  with  a  yellow  dress  at  the 
head,  and  make  it  exactly  as  she  tells 

57 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 


x*&s~'^'& 


you" — and  Dinah  proudly  stood  up  be- 
fore   the    old    lady 
and  poured  into  her 
sympathetic  ear  all 
her  troubles. 

"I'm  glad  I 
kin  white  up, 
she  said,  "I  al- / 
ways  wanted  to,  ,jj 
but  never  had 
no  'casion  to  be- 
fore, and  now  since  I'm  invited  to  this 
quality-folks  weddin'  it's  a  good  chance 
to  see  how  I'd  look  if  I  was  white,  and 
I'll  iron  the  kink  out  o'-  my  hair,  too. 
This  is  the  first  time  I  been  comferble 
in  a  long  time.  First  time  life  was  in 
my  body  one  laig  was  backwards,  nex' 
time  bof  was.  This  time  by  a  axident 
my  face  is   turned    same  way   as    I'm 

58 


HOUSE  PARTY 

goin'.  So  they  can't  say,  'There  goes 
Dinah  comin'  back!'" 

A  shout  of  merriment  followed  this 
explosion,  and  then  as  Dinah's  list  was 
completed  they  all  went  below,  placed 
the  treasured  papers  in  their  little  purses 
and  were  soon  on  their  way,  a  chattering 
group.  Think  of  going  shopping  for 
dolls,  and  being  waited  on  by  doll  clerks ! 
The  dolls  marched  along  with  heads 
held  high,  feeling  quite  important  over 
the  fact  that  they  were  about  to  buy 
stuffs,  which  were  to  be  made  into 
dresses  by  a  real  dressmaker,  and  worn 
to  a  real  doll's  wedding. 

In  the  dry-goods  stores  they  purchased 
silks,  all  colors  of  the  rainbow,  with 
stockings  and  ribbons  to  match.  In  the 
shoe  shops  they  sat  on  cunning  stools 
and  had  their  trim  little  feet  fitted  to  the 

59 


THE      LIVE       DOLLS' 

gayest  of  colored  slippers,  buttoned  boots 
and  rubbers. 

In  the  millinery  store  they  tried  on 
jaunty  hats  and  bonnets,  and  when  they 
had  completed  their  purchases  they 
hastened  home  to  consult  with  Aunt 
Jerusha  as  to  how  these  various  gowns 
should  be  fashioned,  and  before  many 
days  one  doll  after  another  was  sent  for 
to  be  fitted. 

It  was  exciting  to  be  right  in  these 
wedding  preparations,  and  the  children 
were  so  busy  with  the  dolls  they  utterly 
forgot  the  fact  that  nothing  had  been 
said  about  what  they  themselves  were 
to  wear.  One  day  it  occurred  to  Janie, 
and  she  questioned  the  Queen,  who 
replied  with  a  twinkle,  "Oh,  that  will 
be  all  right.  I'm  to  be  married  at  eight 
o'clock    in    the    morning,    and    on    the 

60 


HOUSE  PARTY 

chairs  by  your  beds  you  will  find  every- 
thing needed,  and,"  she  added,  "I  think 
it  is  about  time  I  told  you  who  my 
husband  is  to  be,  also  something 
about  the  journey.  Not  far  away  there 
are  some  foreign  doll  villages,  all 
within  a  few  miles  of  each  other,  each 
nationality  in  its  own  village,  and  over 
them  all  reigns  a  King — and  a  grand 
King  he  is!  For  years  he  has  begged 
me  to  marry  him  and  divide  our  time 
between  his  people  and  mine.  I  finally 
decided  to,  for  I  love  to  be  of  use  to 
these  little  people,  and  above  all  I  love 
my  King  and  am  sure  we  shall  be  very 
happy.  The  wedding  journey  is  to  be 
a  trip  through  each  of  these  places,  and 
as  I  have  never  seen  them  it  will  be  as 
new  to  me  as  to  you.  We  are  to  start 
at  once  avter  the  wedding  breakfast,  on 

61 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

the  miniature  train,  and  stop  at  each 
place  long  enough  to  see  the  people  and 
how  they  live.  It  will  be  a  sort  of 
personally-conducted  excursion,  and  I 
think  it  will  be  great  fun!" 

The  children  drank  in  every  word  of 
this  little  speech,  and,  after  the  Queen 
left  them,  held  an  impromptu  dance  to 
work  off  some  of  the  bottled-up  joy  with 
which  they  were  bubbling  over  after 
such  glorious  news. 

The  great  day  arrived,  and  true  to  the 
Queen's  promise,  there  were  the  gowns, 
exquisite  filmy  things,  all  pure  white. 
In  these  the  children  were  soon  arrayed, 
after  which  they  helped  the  dolls  to  get 
into  their  finery.  Dinah  was  the 
busiest  of  them  all,  and  when  she  was 
finally  ready  in  her  yellow  gown  and  all 
"whited"  up,  her  ironed  hair  trying  in 

62 


HOUSE  PARTY 

vain  to  stay  straight,  she  looked  very 
funny  as  she  stood  in  line  with  the  rest. 

The  little  girls  all  in  white,  each  with 
a  doll  beside  her,  made  a  fascinating 
picture.  As  the  bells  rang  out  from  the 
little  steeple  they  marched  to  the  church 
and  to  chairs  especially  placed  for  them. 

The  church  was  soon  packed  to  the 
doors,  and  then  the  bells  ceased  ringing, 
and  the  cunning  organ  sounded  the 
notes  of  the  Wedding  March.  Then  the 
children  heard  sweet  voices  singing, 
Hail  to  the  Bride.  At  first  the  music 
seemed  to  come  from  far  away;  then,  as 
the  singers  drew  nearer  and  nearer, 
louder  and  louder  it  sounded,  till  at  last, 
with  one  grand  burst  of  melody,  the  dear 
little  choir-boys  marched  up  the  aisle 
and  arranged  themselves  about  the  altar. 
Then    appeared    a    tiny    little    Maid-of- 

63 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

Honor,  all  in  white,  walking  with  down- 
cast eyes.  Following  her  was  the 
Bride,  with  the  tiniest  of  little  dolls  car- 
rying her  train.  Such  a  picture  as  the 
Bride  made,  attired  in  a  silvery  gown 
that  sparkled  and  shimmered  like  frost 
in  the  sunlight!  She  was  met  at  the 
altar  by  the  Groom,  a  handsome  little 
fellow,  who  looked  so  proud  and  happy 
as  she  came  toward  him.  He  tenderly 
clasped  her  hand  and  led  her  to  the 
minister  who  stood  waiting,  dressed  in 
his  long  white  robe,  with  prayer-book  in 
hand.  Then  the  boyish  voices  were 
hushed,  and  during  the  ceremony  many 
eyes  glistened  with  tears,  for  the  Queen 
was  very  dear  to  them  all  and  they 
grieved  over  giving  her  up  for  even  a 
part  of  the  time. 

When    these    two    were    wedded,  the 

64 


HOUSE  PARTY 

glad  voices  rang  out  once  more,  and  the 
bridal  party  passed  down  the  aisle  amid 
a  shower  of  flowers.  The  Queen  lin- 
gered for  loving  greetings  and  good 
wishes ;  after  which  they  all  went  to  the 
little  house  on  the  hill  for  the  wedding 
breakfast. 

When  this  was  over  they  changed 
their  wedding  robes  for  others  suitable 
for  the  trip,  and  were  driven  to  the 
station,  where  the  little  train  awaited 
them. 

They  found  that  there  were  now  a 
sleeping-  and  a  dining-car  attached,  so 
they  could  have  their  own  little  beds 
and  eat  their  meals  on  the  train. 


65 


>^5>^P>.. 


CHAPTER  VI 

AS  they  were  whirled  through  the 
country,  the  King  told  them  this 
would  be  only  a  flying  trip,  and,  as 
he  knew  his  people  would  naturally  want 
to  celebrate  his  coming  with  his  bride,  he 
had  made  special  request  against  it,  for 
he  wished  his  guests  to  see  them  as  they 
were  every  day  and  not  all  trimmed  up 
for  company.  Besides,  those  things  took 
so  much  time,  and  they  could  only  stay 
long  enough  in  each  place  to  get  a  gen- 

66 


HOUSE  PARTY 

eral  idea  of  the  people — how  they  dressed 
and  what  manner  of  food  they  ate. 

He  said  he  would  save  the  most  inter- 
esting place  for  the  last,  and  there  they 
would  stay  a  little  longer;  that  it  was 
not  at  all  foreign  to  them;  in  fact,  the 
inhabitants  would  look  very  familiar 
and  be  perfectly  fascinating. 

By  and  by  he  remarked,  "We  are 
nearing  Holland.  Notice  the  flag  float- 
ing over  the  gate  and  try  to  remember  it." 

As  the  train  halted,  all  stepped  out 
and  followed  the  King  and  his  Bride  to 
the  entrance  of  this  village.  The  King 
blew  his  trumpet,  and  there  appeared  a 
jolly-faced  man  in  wooden  shoes,  who 
warmly  welcomed  them  and  threw  open 
the  great  gate. 

When  they  were  inside  they  looked 
about  with  wondering  eyes.     Everything 

67 


THE       LIVE      DOLLS' 

was  so  strange!  Windmills  shooting 
up  in  every  direction,  streets  full  of  peo- 
ple clattering  along  in  wooden  shoes, 
dressed  in  brightest  of  colors,  wearing  the 
happiest  faces  imaginable — all  formed  a 
cheery  picture  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  principal  thing  here  was  the 
dairies,  which  they  visited  and  found 
spotlessly  clean.  After  a  glass  of  milk 
and  a  nibble  of  cream-cheese  they  went 
their  way  greatly  impressed  with  this 
jolly  town. 

As  they  neared  the  next  place  the 
King  said  as  before,  "Be  sure  to  notice 
the  flag.  I  think  that  must  be  our 
watchword,  for  I  do  want  you  to  learn 
all  you  can  in  the  short  time  we  have 
for  this  trip."  Now  the  colors  of  Bonnie 
Scotland  bade  them  welcome,  and,  as 
before,  the  silvery  notes  of  the  bugle  an- 

68 


HOUSE 


PARTY 


nounced  their  approach.  The  gate  was 
at  once  opened  by  a  wee  Highland  lad- 
die, who  looked  very  odd  in  his  plaid 
kilted  skirt  with  a  sash  over  one  shoul- 


der, knotted  at  the  side.  The  short 
socks  and  high  boots  left  a  bit  of  bare 
leg  visible.  On  the  side  of  his  head  was 
a  small,  round,  red  cap,  held  on  by  a 
strap  which  went  around  his  face  above 

69 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

the  chin.  This  was  the  soldier's  cos- 
tume. As  he  ushered  them  in,  the  first 
thing  that  greeted  their  ears  was  the 
shriek  of  a  bagpipe.  Here,  too,  the  peo- 
ple looked  happy  and  hearty,  especially 
the  children,  who  lived  on  porridge  and 
milk. 

Our  party  learned  that  the  Scotch  and 
Dutch  are  a  clean,  healthful  people,  who 
eat  plain  food,  keep  early  hours  and  live 
in  the  open  air. 

The  tiny  boys  and  girls  were  very 
amusing  in  the  Scotch  costumes,  and 
the  children  found  it  a  great  treat  to  eat 
a  bowl  of  porridge  with  them  before 
their  departure. 

Once  more  the  train  whizzed  them 
along  till  the  French  flag  was  flying  in 
their  faces.  Janie  was  in  a  great  hurry 
to  see  this  place,  for  here  Rosabell  was 

70 


HOUSE 


P    A    R    T    \ 


born.  She  hurried  after  the  noisy 
group,  and,  at  the  usual  signal,  a  gay 
little  Frenchman,  crying  "Bon  joitr!" 
was    bowing    and    smiling    before    the 


•entrance.  The  French  are  noted  for 
their  gallantry,  and  he  waved  them  on 
with  so  many  bows  the  children  had 
hard  work  to  control  the  giggles  that 
must    be   kept   bottled   up   on   this  trip. 

71 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

The  gentlemen  here  looked  as  though 
they  had  just  stepped  out  of  a  fashion 
book,  and  their  waxed  mustaches  stood 
out  very  straight  and  stiff.  Our  party 
walked  through  the  streets  and  saw  that 
the  principal  food  here  was  cake,  tarts, 
salads,  and  sweets  of  all  kinds.  The 
ladies  and  children  were  very  fond  of 
dress  and  were  loaded  down  with  rich 
fabrics,  beaded  capes  and  jewelry.  The 
little  children  seemed  all  hat,  for  the 
headgear  was  enormous  on  little  ones. 

"Do  you  see,"  said  the  King,  "the 
tiny  waists  these  ladies  have?  Such  a 
contrast  to  the  generous  ones  we  have 
just  seen ;  and  how  pale  and  discontented 
they  appear!  They  keep  late  hours,  eat 
no  substantial  food,  wear  their  clothes  too 
tight,  and  so  they  are  not  very  happy." 

The   children  did   not  care  to   linger 

72 


HOUSE  PARTY 

here,  and  hurried  on  to  Mexico.  After 
the  colors,  green,  white,  and  red,  were 
impressed  on  their  little  brains,  they 
hastened  to  the  entrance,  where  they 
were  met  by  a  man  wearing  a  high- 
pointed  hat  and  a  zerape,  or  bright- 
colored  blanket,  about  his  shoulders. 
He  gravely  greeted  them  with  the  words, 
"Buenos  dios,  Senor"  (Good  day,  Sir), 
and  they  passed  on  to  a  most  curious 
place,  unlike  anything  they  had  seen. 

The  streets  were  crowded  with  people, 
the  men  in  a  garb  similar  to  the  sentinel 
at  the  gate.  The  women  wore  Mother 
Hubbard  gowns  with  a  scarf  wound 
about  the  head,  and  their  little  feet  were 
bare,  while  the  men's  feet  were  protected 
with  sandals.  These  poor  people  were 
followed  by  children  who  wore  scarcely 
any  clothes  and  hurried  along  beside  the 

73 


THE       LIVE       DOLLS' 

carriages  filled  with  the  better  classes 
who  were  decked  in  rich  garments  and 
jewelry.  The  cathedral  chimes  were 
making  a  great  din,  calling  all  to  mass. 
Their  church  is  their  life,  and  they  drop 
everything  at  the  sound  of  the  bells. 

They  are  rather  sad-looking  but  inter- 
esting as  they  sell  their  wares,  drawn- 
work,  pottery,  baskets  and  leather  goods. 

The  poor  live  on  bean  soup,  which  is 
eaten  with  a  folded  pancake  for  a  spoon ; 
for  dessert  the  spoon  is  gobbled  up  with 
the  greatest  relish.  The  children  tasted 
this  food  but  found  it  too  peppery  to 
suit  them. 

From  here  they  stepped  across  the 
street  to  see  the  Indians.  This  was 
great  fun,  for  they  lived  in  tiny  wig- 
wams, and  in  front  of  each  was  the  papa 
in   his  gorgeous  blankets,  feathers  and 

74 


'  ■ 


They  are  rather  sad-looking,  as  they  sell  their  wares 

Page  77 


HOUSE  PARTY 

brave  war-paint,  teaching  the  little  boys 
how  to  shoot.  On  the  squaw's  back 
was  strapped  a  tiny  papoose,  who  stared 
at  them  with  bright,  beady  eyes.  These 
people  live  on  game,  and  the  first  thing 
taught  the  little  boys  is  how  to  shoot, 
that  they  may  help  to  provide  for  the 
family,  and  also  be  prepared  for  war. 

At  the  next  station  the  Japanese  col- 
ors were  fluttering  in  the  breeze.  As 
they  halted  before  the  entrance  a  little 
Jap  appeared,  and  the  children  exclaimed 
in  delight,  as  he  looked  for  all  the  world 
like  the  hat-pin  cushions  hanging  beside 
the  dressers  at  home. 

This  place  was  a  bower  of  beauty. 
The  trees  were  a  mass  of  cherry  blos- 
soms, and  the  odorous  wistaria  ran  riot 
over  the  daintily-colored  dwellings  and 
tea-houses.     As  the  children  sniffed  the 

75 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

air,  sweet  with  the  breath  of  the  flowers, 
they  almost  expected  to  see  the  streets 
strewn  with  broken  bottles  of  per- 
fumery. 

And  the  people!  How  odd  they 
looked,  gazing  at  them  with  their  brilliant 
dark  eyes  set  in  calm,  oval,  yellow  faces ! 

The  ladies  all  wore  colored  kimonos, 
richly  embroidered  in  flowers  and  birds 
with  wings  spread  ready  to  fly. 

The  streets  were  alive  with  these 
splendid  creatures,  while  tiny  children 
played  about,  dressed  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  their  elders,  the  smallest  girls 
with  dolls  strapped  on  to  their  backs. 
The  King  explained  that  they  wore 
them  almost  as  soon  as  they  could  walk, 
to  prepare  them  to  carry  the  babies  as 
they  grew  older.  Those  old  enough  to 
carry    the    babies  on  their    backs  were 

76 


HOUSE  PARTY 

having  great  fun  playing  marbles  and 
flying  kites,  regardless  of  the  burden. 

It  was  whispered  about  that  the  King, 
his  Bride  and  guests  had  arrived,  and  in 
a  short  time  the  streets  were  strung 
with  Japanese  lanterns  and  flags.  As 
it  grew  dark  myriads  of  colored  lights 
twinkled  here  and  there,  and  then  began 
a  grand  display  of  fireworks,  for  the 
Japanese  have  them  on  all  gala  occa- 
sions. 

Our  party  was  invited  into  a  tea-house, 
where  each  received  a  dish  of  rice  and  a 
dainty  cup  of  tea,  while  listening  to  the 
gay  music  and  watching  the  jinrikishas 
flying  about  carrying  ladies  in  gay  holi- 
day attire. 

From  here  they  stopped  a  moment  to 
peep  in  at  Venice,  where  the  streets 
were  all  of  water,  and  they  marveled  at 

77 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

the  inhabitants  going  about  in  gondolas, 
some  loaded  with  flowers  and  fruits 
which  they  were  calling  out  to  sell  to  the 
people  in  their  houses.  Other  boats 
were  loaded  with  people  dressed  in  vivid 


colors,  wearing  masks,  their  gay  voices 
caroling  to  the  accompaniment  of  stringed 
instruments.  It  seemed  to  be  a  festal 
day  and  they  were  having  a  rollicking 
time  while  they  devoured  their  macaroni, 
which  is  the  Italian's  chief  food. 

78 


CHAPTER  VII 


A  TO    now,"    said    the    King,    "we 
have  finished  the  foreign  villages 
and  shall  go  to  the  most  interest- 
ing place  to  you,  I  think;  and  then  we 
shall  turn  our  faces  homeward." 

The  children  watched  eagerly  for  this 
village,  for  it  was  to  be  an  unusual 
treat,  and  when  they  saw  the  Stars  and 
Stripes,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  flags, 
flying,  with  one  accord  they  sprang  to 
their  feet,  waving  kerchiefs  and  wildly 
shouting,    "Three    cheers    for   the    red, 

79 


THE       LIVE      DOLLS' 

white  and  blue!"  Such  a  strange-look- 
ing place  was  this,  surrounded  by  a  high 
wall!  Over  the  entrance  they  read  in 
large  gold  letters,  "FLUFFYTOWN," 
and  the  King,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand, 
cried,  "Home  of  the  Paper  Dolls!  All 
out!" 

At  this  announcement  a  thrill  of  joy 
pervaded  our  little  party  and  they  eagerly 
followed  the  Bridal  Pair  to  the  entrance 
of  the  city,  where  the  King's  trumpet 
sounded  its  bugle  call,  and  the  gates, 
which  were  on  wheels,  noiselessly  slid 
back.  When  all  had  entered,  they  im- 
mediately closed. 

Such  a  glittering  vision  flashed  upon 
their  eyes!  Bits  of  houses  that  appeared 
to  be  coated  with  a  thick,  furry  frost, 
gleamed  and  glistened  like  diamonds  in 
the  sunlight. 

80 


HOUSE  PARTY 

They  were  covered  with  asbestos  and 
were  built  in  a  circle,  the  center  of 
which  formed  a  park.  From  a  silvery 
fountain  there  burst  forth  a  gleaming 
stream,  which  seemed  not  like  water, 
and  the  King  said  it  was  quicksilver, 
that  they  never  had  water  here,  as  water 
meant  ruination  to  paper  dolls. 

"But  what  do  they  do  if  it  rains?" 
asked  Janie. 

"Look  up  and  see,"  replied  the  King; 
and  they  looked  and  discovered  that  an 
odd,  red  roof,  in  the  shape  of  a  vast  um- 
brella, extended  over  the  whole  place. 

"You  see,"  said  the  King,  "the  things 
they  fear  are  wind  and  rain,  and  from 
them  they  must  be  protected. 

"Rain  would  blot  them  out  of  exist- 
ence, and  wind  would  blow  them  away. 
Before  they  had  the  walls  and  roof  they 

81 


THE       LIVE      DOLLS' 

never  dared  venture  out  till  they  tele- 
phoned the  weather  man,  and  I  found 
that  for  their  own  comfort  they  must  be 
shielded.  So  now  they  live  in  peace. 
Another  thing  they  are  in  mortal  terror 
of  is  fire.  The  town  is  wired  with  elec- 
tricity, which  gives  heat  and  light, 
without  danger  from  flames.  The 
houses  could  not  burn,  but  one  tiny 
flash  might  burn  up  all  the  people." 

The  children  noticed  that  the  dwell- 
ings were  very  odd,  being  rather  flat, 
but  as  paper  dolls  do  not  take  up  much 
room  they  concluded  it  was  a  wise  way 
to  build,  for  they  could  have  so  many 
more  houses  in  a  certain  space. 

They  reveled  in  the  store  windows, 
which  were  filled  with  hats  and  gowns 
of  every  description.  The  hats  were  a 
bewildering    mass  of  fluffy  color,  with 

82 


HOUSE  PARTY 

trimmings  of  feathery  flowers — -dainty 
creations  which  the  children  longed  to 
possess.  The  gowns  were  fashioned 
from  crape  paper  which  gave  the 
accordion-plaited  effect. 

"They  are  so  vain!"  said  the  King. 
"If  you  go  into  any  of  these  houses  you 
will  find  them  hard  at  work  making 
dresses.  They  lead  a  butterfly  existence 
and  care  for  nothing  but  to  look  better 
than  their  neighbors.  The  moment  a 
dress  is  finished,  it  is  put  on  and  the 
wearer  rushes  into  the  street  to  show  it. 
You  will  usually  see  some  proud  crea- 
ture fluttering  along  airing  her  finery, 
and  when  there  is  a  party  the  place  is 
in  such  a  hubbub  that  all  you  hear  is 
rustling  paper." 

Growing  profusely  in  the  park  were 
dandelions,  and  as  many  of  them  had 

83 


THE      LIVE       DOLLS' 

gone  to  seed,  the  children  asked  if  they 
might  gather  some  to  tell  their  fortunes. 

"Tell  your  fortunes  with  those? 
How?"  asked  the  Queen. 

"Why,  don't  you  know?"  laughed 
Janie.  "You  blow  them  three  times 
and  then  you  count  the  little  sprays  that 
are  left  and  that's  how  many." 

The  King  was  alarmed  at  once.,  and 
cried,  "No,  indeed!  That  would  be  a 
crime  in  this  village." 

The  children  looked  amazed,  and 
Janie  cried,  "A  crime  to  tell  a  fortune 
with  a  dandelion?" 

"No,  dear,  a  crime  to  blow.  You 
would  be  threatened  with  a  terrible  pun- 
ishment. No  one  dares  to  blow  any- 
thing here." 

"My,"  said  Janie,  "how  awful!  What 
do  they  do  when  their  soup  is  too  hot?" 

84 


HOUSE  PARTY 

The  King's  merry  laugh  rang  out  as 
he  replied:  "They  do  not  have  soup; 
they  eat  scarcely  anything ;  indeed,  their 
principal  food  is  chewing-gum,  as  they 
do  not  like  to  stop  their  work  for  meals 
and  can  chew  while  they  work.  This  is 
one  good  feature  about  them,  they  really 
eat  to  live. 

"These  dandelions  are  raised  here  for 
trimming  for  hats.  When  the  tops 
reach  the  feathery  state  they  are  dyed 
various  colors,  and  they  use  bushels  of 
them.  The  blossom  in  its  natural  state 
serves  for  a  broom.  But  look  up  the 
street,  school  is  out.  See  this  bevy  of 
school  girls  coming." 

And  sure  enough,  a  group  of  charm- 
ing creatures,  arrayed  in  all  colors  of  the 
rainbow,  came  floating  toward  them,  and 
as  they  came  near,  paused  to  salute  his 

85 


THE       LIVE      DOLLS' 

Majesty  and  his  Bride.  At  that  instant 
Janie  sneezed,  and  mercy!  such  havoc  as 
that  unlucky  sneeze  wrought!  The 
dolls,  who  were  just  in  the  act  of  making 
an  elaborate  courtesy,  tumbled  over  in  a 
heap,  and  when  they  were  assisted  to 
their  feet,  cast  such  reproachful  glances 
at  the  child,  she  felt  quite  dismayed,  and 
the  King  hastened  to  apologize  for  her 
apparent  rudeness.  As  the  dolls  passed 
on  he  explained  that  the  paper  dolls 
were  used  to  such  a  delicate  atmosphere 
the  tiniest  breath  sent  them  flying. 

"Such  a  funny  thing  happened  once," 
he  said.  "I  had  been  to  visit  my  Dutch 
dolls  and  a  small  boy  begged  me  to  bring 
him  over  here,  which  I  did.  I  did  not 
notice  that  the  little  fellow  had  a  paper 
windmill  in  his  hand,  with  which  he  was 
playing,  and  as  we  walked  up  this  street 

86 


At  that  instant  Janie  sneezed  !  Page  86 


HOUSE 


PARTY 


he  suddenly  left  my  side  and  raced  ahead 

of  me,  holding  the  wind- 
mill out  before  him, 
raising  quite  a  breeze 
with  the  motion. 

"It  happened  at  the 
time  that  there  were 
scores  of  these  dainty 
creatures  walking  about, 
and  such  a  commotion  you 
never  saw!  It  seemed  as  though 
a  toy  cyclone  had  struck  them,  and  the 
air  was  at  once  filled  with  paper  dolls, 
hats,  sashes,  and  all  sorts  of  finery. 
The  child  noticed  them  but  did  not  real- 
ize he  was  the  tornado,  until  I  called  to 
him  to  stop.  The  dolls  came  back  to 
earth,  landing  on  heads,  hands  and  faces, 
and  rushed  into  their  houses,  closing 
doors  and  windows.     The  streets  were 


87 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

deserted  and  all  we  could  see  were  dolls' 
distressed  faces  peering  through  the  win- 
dows until  the  poor  little  ogre  with  his 
terrific  wind-machine  had  departed. 

"I  also  got  into  trouble  once  trying  to 
do  them  a  kindness.  I  was  very  thought- 
less in  those  days.  It  makes  me  laugh 
now  when  I  think  of  it.  I  bought  a  lot 
of  merry-go-rounds,  and  had  one  put  up 
in  each  village,  and  woe  be  unto  me  for 
sending  one  here !  I  thought  only  of  the 
pleasure  it  would  give  them,  and  forgot 
the  breeze  it  created  when  in  use.  They 
watched  curiously  as  it  was  being  put 
up  and  all  were  eager  for  a  ride.  The 
first  trip  all  seats  were  filled,  the  little 
boys  in  the  greatest  glee  on  the  ponies, 
and  the  ladies  with  the  little  girls  in  the 
chariots. 

"The  music  began,  and  in  one  instant, 

88 


HOUSE 


PARTY 


whiff!  away  they  all  went  a  flying. 
The  air  was  alive  with  them,  and  when 
they  came  down  they  were  in  a  terrible 
state. 


/Si.yi  ■  ■ 


Ambulances  and  surgeons  were  in 
great  demand,  and  for  a  few  days  the 
whole  town  was  in  mourning.  Luckily, 
all  recovered,  but  they  were  very  indig- 
nant at  me." 

"What  did  they  do  with  it?"  asked  the 
Queen. 

89 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

"Well,  that  is  the  biggest  problem 
they  have  had  to  solve.  It  was  such  a 
disappointment,  and  made  them  very- 
angry.  They  wanted  to  burn  it,  but  no 
one  dared  to  start  the  fire.  They  did 
not  want  me  to  know  about  it,  but  I 
always  learn  everything;  so  I  had  the 
machine  placed  just  outside  the  city,  and 
there  it  stands,  waiting  for  some  bright 
mind  to  devise  some  means  by  which 
they  can  ride  and  keep  their  seats.  They 
hold  it  up  as  the  worst  punishment  that 
can  befall  any  one,  and  when  the  little 
ones  are  naughty  they  are  filled  with  ter- 
ror at  the  awful  threat,  'If  you  aren't 
good  I'll  send  you  for  a  ride  on  the 
merry-go-round!'  " 

They  all  shouted  at  this  story,  and  the 
King  darted  toward  some  wee  paper  dolls 
just  passing  and  held  on  to  them  till  the 

9o 


HOUSE  PARTY 

merriment  had  subsided,  and  then 
remarked:  "See  here,  we  must  get  out 
of  this  place  or  they  will  think  there  is 
an  earthquake!" 

But  the  Queen  cried,  "Wait,  I  have  a 
thought.  They  can  use  the  merry-go- 
round.  Call  them  out  and  let  me  talk 
to  them." 

The  King  beamed  upon  her  and  cried 
joyously  to  the  children,  "See!  She's 
beginning  already  to  be  a  helpmeet  to 
me!  Come  to  the  Park,  and  for  pity's 
sake  don't  let  me  hear  a  sneeze  or  even 
the  faintest  giggle,  for  they  would  think 
you  did  it  purposely." 

When  they  reached  the  Park  the  King 
blew  the  silver  bugle,  and  at  once  from 
all  directions  scores  of  paper  dolls  flut- 
tered toward  them.  As  they  reached 
our  little  group,  all  courtesied  politely 

91 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 

and  then  quietly  awaited  the  King's 
message. 

His  Highness  led  the  Queen  forward 
and  said,  "My  dear  people,  let  me  intro- 
duce to  you  my  Bride,  who  has  very 
generously  decided  to  help  me  to  take 
care  of  my  people.  She  has  already  a 
happy  thought  for  you,  and  I  shall  let 
her  tell  you  about  it." 

The  Queen  smiled  sweetly  and  said, 
"I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  and  want  to  say 
that  we  have  had  the  greatest  pleasure 
looking  through  your  wonderful  village. 
As  the  King  told  me  the  story  of  the 
merry-go-round,  and  why  you  could  not 
use  it,  it  occurred  to  me  that  it  would  be 
an  easy  matter  for  us  to  have  some  coats 
made  just  for  that  occasion,  which  we 
will  weight  with  quicksilver;  they  can 
be  kept  on  each  seat,  and  as  you  sit  down 

92 


HOUSE  PARTY 

you  can  slip  them  on  and  ride  with  no 
fear  whatever.  It  is  such  sport  to  ride 
and  I  am  so  glad  I  thought  of  it." 

An  odd  ripple  of  applause  swept  over 
the  delighted  audience,  for  they  were 
wild  to  glide  around  in  the  glorious 
whirligig. 

And  the  king  added,  "I  shall  have  it 
set  up  here  at  once  and  shall  also  have 
straps  fitted  to  each  seat,  which  will 
make  it  more  secure.    And  now,  good-by." 

Then  the  bridal  party  left  this  interest- 
ing place  with  sighs  of  regret,  for  it  was 
great  fun,  and  of  all  the  places  they  had 
seen  they  felt  that  Fluffytown  was  the 
best. 


93 


CHAPTER  VIII 


AND  now  the  train  was  headed  toward 
the  Doll  Farm,  and  the  children, 
seated   beside   their   dolls,    were   a 
sorry  group,  for  they  always  dreaded  to 
part  from  the  Queen. 

When  they  reached  their  destination 
they  followed  their  dear  one  into  the 
dining-room,  where  a  bountiful  supper 
was  awaiting  them.     When  their  appe- 

94 


HOUSE  PARTY 

tites  were  satisfied,  the  Queen  rose  and 
addressed  them: 

"My  dear  children,"  she  said,  "I  am 
sorry,  indeed,  to  say  good-by,  but  I  hope 
you  have  had  such  a  good  time  that  you 
will  always  love  to  tell  about  it  and  live 
it  over.  With  your  baggage  you  will  each 
find  a  souvenir  of  the  trip,  which,  I  am 
sure,  you  will  enjoy,  and  will  help  you 
to  remember  this  time.  You  need  not 
thank  me  for  what  I  have  done,  for  it 
has  been  a  privilege  for  which  I  am  very 
grateful.  Giving  you  these  pleasures 
has  rendered  my  own  life  sweeter,  for, 
you  know,  we  can  not  do  for  others 
without  our  own  lives  being  made  better, 
— and  now,  good-by.  The  King  and  I 
shall  remain  here  for  a  time  and  then 
return  to  our  people.  Please  try  to  be 
brave  and  glad  and  give  me  smiles  instead 

95 


THE      LIVE      DOLLS* 

of  tears,  for  you  must  remember  that  I 
am  a  Bride." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  cried  Janie,  "we  will, 
for  we  owe  you  a  great  deal.  How  much 
we  would  have  missed  if  you  hadn't 
let  our  dolls  be  alive,  and  we  shall 
remember  always  this  lovely  trip  and 
tell  it  to  our  children,  only  they  won't 
believe  it !" 

Then,  turning  to  her  companions,  she 
exclaimed,  "Three  cheers  for  the  King 
and  Queen,  and  may  they  live  happily 
for  ever  and  ever!" 

"Hip,  hip,  hurrah!"  Three  lusty 
cheers  rang  out,  and  the  Queen  turned 
aside  to  wipe  off  a  tear  that  sparkled  on 
her  cheek,  for  she  loved  them  all  dearly, 
and  the  King  cried,  "My!  I'm  glad  we 
are  so  far  away  from  Fluffytown.  That 
shout  would  have  blown  up  the  village! " 

96 


HOUSE  PARTY 

The  little  'bus  now  rattled  up  to  the 
door,  and,  after  loving  good-bys,  the 
children  were  seated  and  driven  rapidly 
home,  where  they  were  warmly  wel- 
comed by  their  parents,  and  the  whole 
story  was  soon  poured  into  the  various 
attentive  ears. 

As  Janie  finished  her  delightful  tale, 
the  baggage  man  arrived  with  her  bag- 
gage, and  with  it  came  a  shiny  new 
trunk. 

A  wee  key  tied  on  to  the  handle 
unlocked  it,  and  when  Janie  raised  the 
lid,  there!  oh  there!  what  do  you  think? 
In  the  top  tray  a  whole  family  of  dolls 
stared  up  at  her,  all  dressed  in  Scotch 
costume — plaid  kilts,  sashes  and  caps. 
One  little  fellow  even  carried  the  bag- 
pipes. Quivering  with  excitement  she 
lifted  this  tray  out,  and  found  a  Japanese 

97 


THE       LIVE      DOLLS' 

family  looking  calmly  into  her  face, 
the  mother  and  daughter  carrying  a 
parasol  and  decked  in  gorgeous  embroid- 
ered kimonos. 

Then  came  the  Hollanders  in  bright 
dresses,  white  caps  and  wooden  shoes. 

In  the  next  tray  was  a  gondola  in 
which  was  seated  an  Italian  family,  gaily 
dressed,  waiting  for  a  sail  in  the  bath- 
tub. 

The  next  to  greet  her  was  a  family  of 
Indians  in  war-paint  and  feathers,  the 
squaw  having  a  tiny  papoose  strapped 
to  her  back. 

After  these  came  the  French  dolls, 
and  lastly  the  darlingest  lot  of  paper 
dolls  with  an  elaborate  wardrobe,  and 
rolls  of  paper  with  which  Janie  could 
manufacture  new  costumes.  There  were 
also  small  boxes  of  spangles  and  tiny 

98 


When  Janie  raised  the  lid,  there  !   oh  there  ! 

Page  98 


HOUSE  PARTY 

feathery  plumes  dyed  all  colors  for 
trimmings. 

Janie  placed  the  trays  in  a  long  row 
and  danced  about  them,  examining  them 
all  very  carefully. 

"See,  Mamma,"  she  cried,  "each  father 
has  a  flag."  And  sure  enough,  the  head 
of  each  family  seemed  to  wave  in  triumph 
the  flag  of  his  country. 

"Long  may  they  wave!"  replied 
mamma,  "and  I  think  the  Queen  was 
very  generous  to  give  you  each  such  a 
lovely  present.  The  paper  dolls  are 
exquisite,  and  you  will  have  fine  times 
playing  with  them.  Papa  can  make  you 
a  merry-go-round  and  you  can  pin  the 
dolls  down  while  they  ride." 

"Never! "  cried  Janie  in  horror,  "never 
could  I  do  that.  Since  I  have  seen  them 
alive,  I  never  again  can  stick  a  pin  into 

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THE      LIVE      DOLLS' 


any  doll!" — and  she  caught  up  Rosabell 
and  held  her  close  for  a  moment,  then 
tenderly  undressed  her  and  murmured: 
"Dear  one,  I  shall  love  you  for  ever  and 
_  '  ever,   no   matter 

how  old  I  grow, 
and  I'll  always 
know  that  you 
are  ready  and 
waiting  to  talk 
to  me  if  the 
Queen  will  only 
let  you."  Then 
she  kissed  her 
and  placed  her 
in  her  little  bed. 
The  doll's  eyes 
closed,  and  Janie 
went  to  her  own  little  bed,  bemoaning 
the  fact   that   in  the  morning  Rosabell 

IOO 


HOUSE  PARTY 

would  be  only  just  a  plain  doll  once 
more!  But  she  brightened  up  as  she 
recalled  the  dolls  of  all  nations  wait- 
ing for  her,  and  rejoiced  over  the  delicious 
times  they  would  have  together. 

And  now  for  the  third  time,  we  are 
called  upon  to  say  good-by  to  Cloverdale 
and  the  Live  Dolls. 

I  have  been  dreading  this  moment  of 
parting,  for  I  must  confess  I  feared  that 
never  again  would  it  be  possible  for  the 
Queen  to  wave  the  magic  wand  that 
thrills  the  dolls  with  life,  as  the  subject 
seemed  to  be  exhausted. 

I  dearly  love  to  hear  afar  off  the  peal 
of  the  silver  bugle  piercing  the  air,  and 
the  merry  jingling  of  the  joyous  bells, 
and  I  revel  over  the  blissful  moment 
when  dolls  wriggle  out  of  arms  and  go 


IOI 


THE       LIVE       DOLLS' 

scampering  about  filling  the  child-world 
with  joy  for  a  time;  therefore,  I  felt  very 
sad  over  the  thought  that  this  might  be 
the  last  time  we  could  exult  together 
over  these  live  dollies. 

Then  suddenly  a  ray  of  sunshine 
beamed  upon  me  as  I  recalled  the  fact 
that  as  mother-love  lives  for  ever  in  the 
heart  of  the  real  mother,  so  the  doll  is 
enshrined  alive  in  the  heart  of  the  wee 
madonna.  Also  that  the  grown-ups' 
world  goes  on  and  on,  while  books  with- 
out number  are  being  written  about  it 
and  eagerly  devoured,  and  that  world  is 
not  to  be  compared,  either  as  far  as 
interest  or  the  joy  of  living  is  concerned, 
with  the  innocent  child-world,  where 
dolls  are  brooded  over  and  dwell  in  sweet 
content  under  the  mother's  wing.  The 
little    mother,    through    her    child-love, 

ioa 


HOUSE  PARTY 

is  being  fitted  to  take  the  most  sacred 
of  all  places,  that  of  mother  over  her 
own  real  Live  Dolls  some  day. 

Looking  at  it  from  this  point  of  view, 
I  shudder  at  my  disloyal  thought,  and 
humbly  beg  the  Dolls'  and  my  Readers' 
pardon,  and  decide  that  as  the  grown- 
ups' world  would  be  sadly  bereaved 
without  the  children,  so  the  children 
would  be  utterly  desolate  without  the 
beloved  live  dolls. 

Therefore,  never  can  we  say  good-by 
to  them,  but  on  the  contrary,  I  trust  that 
the  little  voices  all  over  the  land  will 
join  with  me  in  one  glad  chorus  and 
merrily  cry: 

"Long  live  the  dolls,  and  may  the 
magic  wand  wave  over  them  for  ever 
and  ever!" 


/ 


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